Employee’s experience of student protests in a higher education institution in Gauteng

Abstract

Higher education student protests constitute a legitimate means for students to express their grievances. However, violent protest has undesirable consequences for the general university community. It is within this context that the study was conducted to explore, describe and analyse the impact of student protest on academic and administrative staff members at a higher education institution. The predominantly qualitative, exploratory and descriptive study was conducted at a higher education institution in Gauteng Province among four academic and four administrative staff members (n=8) who were purposively sampled from their various departments within the College of Economic and Management Sciences. Empirical data was collected from all eight participants through semi-structured in-depth individual interviews, two of which were held telephonically, and the remaining six by means of Microsoft Teams. The main findings of the study are that student funding constituted a perennial grievance and has been the cause of most, if not all, university student protest action in recent times. University employees generally understood the concept of student protest. Depending on the nature and causes of protest by university students, some of the employees were sympathetic towards it, while others were not. The findings reveal student protests to be generally disruptive, and to pose serious risk to both employee safety and well-being and to the overall academic and administrative productivity of the university. The study also found that proper communication between management and staff members, collaboration between students and university management, staff safety and protection, funding availability and free education were viewed as the most viable mechanisms to resolve student grievances.

Ditšhupetšo tša boipelaetšo tša baithuti ba thuto ya godimo ke tsela ya semolao ya baithuti ya go laetša dingongorego. Le ge go le bjalo, ditšhupetšo tša go ba le dikgaruru di na le ditlamorago tše mpe go setšhaba sa yunibesithi ka kakaretšo. Ke ka gare ga maemo a gore nyakišišo ye e dirwe go nyakišiša, go hlaloša le go sekaseka khuetšo ya ditšhupetšo tša boipelaetšo tša baithuti go bašomi ba thuto le bašomi ba tshepedišo institšhušeneng ya thuto ya godimo. Nyakišišo yeo gagolo e lego ya khwalithethifi, go nyakišiša le go hlaloša e dirilwe institšhušeneng ya thuto ya godimo ka Profenseng ya Gauteng magareng a bašomi ba thuto ba bane le bašomi ba tshepedišo ba bane (n=8) bao ba sampotšwego go ya ka morero go tšwa mafapheng a bona a go fapanafapana ka Kholetšheng ya Disaense tša Ekonomi le Taolo. Datha ya imphirikale e kgobokeditšwe ka mokgwa wa ditherišano tše di tseneletšego tša go beakanywa seripa le batšeakarolo ka moka ba seswai, tše pedi tša ditherišano di dirilwe ka mogala, gomme tše tshela ka Microsoft Teams. Diphihlelelo tše kgolo tša nyakišišo ye di laeditše gore thekgo ya ditšhelete go baithuti ke lebaka leo le hlolago dingongorego tše di sa felego tša go hlola bontši, le ge e se ka moka, bja magato a ditšhupetšo tša boipelaetšo tša baithuti ba yunibesithi tša mehleng ya lehono. Bašomi ba yunibesithi ka kakaretšo ba be ba kwešiša kgopolo ya ditšhupetšo tša boipelaetšo tša baithuti. Mabaka le mokgwa wa tšhupetšo ya boipelaetšo ka baithuti ba yunibesithi go dirile gore bašomi ba bangwe ba be le kwešišo ya yona, mola go bašomi ba bangwe go be go se bjalo. Diphihlelelo di utolotše gore ditšhupetšo tša boipelaetšo tša baithuti ka kakaretšo ke lepheko, ebile di beya polokego le go phela gabotse ga bašomi kotsing ye kgolo le go tšweletšo ya kakaretšo ya thuto le tshepedišo ya yunibesithi. Nyakišišo e laeditše gape gore poledišano ya maleba gare ga balaodi le bašomi, tirišano gare ga baithuti le bolaodi bja yunibesithi, polokego ya bašomi le tšhireletšo, khwetšagalo ya thušo ya ditšhelete le thuto ya mahala di bonwe bjalo ka ditsela tšeo di ka šomišwago gagolo go rarolla dingongorego tša baithuti.

Switereke swa machudeni eka dyondzo ya le henhla hi yin'wana ya tindlela to twala to kombisa ku vilela ka machudeni hi swirilo swa vona. Kambe switereke swa madzolonga swi na switandzhaku swo biha eka vanhu va yunivhesiti. Hi le ka xiyimo lexi laha ku nga endliwa kona ndzavisiso lowu ku valanga, ku hlamusela na ku xopaxopa hi vuyelo bya switereke swa machudeni eka vatirhi va akhademiki na va administrexini eka instituxini ya dyondzo ya le henhla. Ndzavisiso wa qualitative, wo valanga na ku hlamusela wu endliwe eka instituxini ya dyondzo ya le henhla eka Provhinsi (Xifundzhankulu) xa Gauteng eka vatirhi va akhademiki va mune na va administrative va mune (n=8) lava ku nga endliwa sampuli ya purposively eka tindzawulo to hambana leti kumekaku eka College of Economic and Management Sciences. Ku hlengeletiwe vutivi bya vumbhoni eka vatekaxiavo hinkwavo va nhungu hi ku endla tiinthavhyu na munhu wun'we wun'we, vambirhi ku endliwe na vona hi riqingo, kasi va ntsevu ku endliwe tiinthavhyu hi Microsoft Teams. Swikulu leswi nga kumeka hi ndzavisiso hi leswo timali to pfuneta machudeni i xivilelo xikulukumba xo ya emahlweni lembe na lembe, na swona ku ve swona xivangelo xa switereka swa machudeni eka mikarhi ya sweswi. Vatirhi va yunivhesiti va na ku twisisa ko nava hi switereke swa machudeni. Hi ku ya hi muxaka na swivangelo swa switereke swa machudeni ya yunivhesiti, van'wana va vatirhi va twelana na swichudeni, kasi van'wana a va twelani na swona. Leswi nga kumeka swi kombisa leswo machudeni va va na vukavanyeti lebyi nga na nghozi eka ku hlayiseka ka vatirhi, na le ka migingiriko ya akhademiki na ya administrative hi ku nava eyunivhesiti. Ndzavisiso wu tlhele wu kuma na leswo vutihlanganisi bya kahle exikarhi ka vafambisi na vatirhi, ku kanerisana exikarhi ka machudeni na vafambisi va yunivhesiti, vuhlayiseki bya vatirhi na nsireleleko, vukumeki bya timali, na dyondzo ya mahala swi voniwa swi ri swin'wana swa tindlela to antswa to lulamisa swivilelo swa machudeni.